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UK Sets Up Internet-Savvy Army Unit

Posted by Soulskill on from the now-recruiting-internet-tough-guys dept.

An anonymous reader sends word that the UK Army is establishing a dedicated unit for fighting wars in the information age. The 77th Brigade will specialize in non-lethal, psychological operations that involve the internet and social media. The army says it's learned through its operations in Afghanistan that there are fights to be won not just on the battlefield, but online as well. "In some senses it's defensive - trying to present the case from this side against opponents who hold many of the cards. We've seen with Islamic State, its incredible capability on the net, Facebook, Instagram and all the rest." The new unit will "try to influence local populations and change behavior through what the Army calls traditional and unconventional means." The army also stressed that they're looking for ways that citizens with the right skills could work alongside the 77th Brigade.

56 comments

  1. new age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Ah. Now that we're in the internet age the army is taking over the function of the free press.

    1. Re: new age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 50 pence brigade?

    2. Re:new age by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      Even though I'm a libertarian and generally oppose this kind of thing, I understand why this is needed.

      Over the last 20 years the landscape of warfare has changed dramatically, probably more so than any other period in history. The age of nation-states waging war against nation-states is largely over. Now we're basically seeing inter-state civil wars. That is, regular civilians picking up arms for a cause not tied to a given state, and declaring war against other civilians that aren't of any specific state.

      By civilians I mean they don't wear a uniform and they don't fly a specific flag, meaning they don't fit any definition of a soldier according to any international laws.

      Islamic terrorists are only one such belligerent, you've also got eco terrorists and the occasional (and pretty rare these days) communist who is still hell bent on violent liberation of the proletariat, and then the anti-abortion fanatics.

    3. Re:new age by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      And depending on how things pan out, you might even get to see some of those "freedom terrorists" who insist in defending their liberties against their own government...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:new age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're no libertarian if you think this is acceptable in any way.

      Terrorism is the new cold war.

      We've discovered through the likes of Wikileaks that the biggest terrorists are not Muslims - but the Military Industrial Complex and the corrupt politicians and war criminals that use the armed forces of their countries to do their terrorism for them - with such euphemisms as 'bringing freedom'. etc.

    5. Re:new age by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      The age of nation-states waging war against nation-states is largely over

      If this was true, you could reduce the size of the world's armies standing dramatically, not to mention scrapping most Navies and Nuclear Deterrents completely.

      Groups like ISIL are never going to be an existential threat to a country with a moderate police/military presence.

      But somehow, I don't see countries like the US, Russia and China suddenly slashing their defence spending.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  2. The 77th Brigade by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't it be the hundredandeleventyfirst?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  3. already have it by iggymanz · · Score: 1

    psyops is old; but we don't need soldiers screwing around with social media when they should be putting ammo on target. Look what decades of screwing around by the CIA brought us

    1. Re:already have it by khasim · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is my sockpuppet. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

      My sockpuppet is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

      My sockpuppet, without me, is useless. Without my sockpuppet, I am useless.

    2. Re:already have it by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Why did this picture instantly pop into my mind?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Kill the enemy hackers. Slit their throats, bomb their homes, shoot them in the chest twice and once through the brain. You don't fight on the enemy's level, you fight on yours. You make them fear for their lives, all the time. You don't work very well when you know you could be burned to death in an instant, torn to pieces by bombs or shells, be pumped full of high-velocity bullets, wake up to feel the cold sharpness of a blade on your neck in the middle of the night. War is violence. Wage it accordingly.

    1. Re:Why bother? by Skidborg · · Score: 1, Interesting

      That strategy is what's losing Israel the fight in Gaza and the West Bank. For every enemy combatant they kill their opponents gain international sympathy as the downtrodden underdogs because every bomb builder is working alongside a guy with a camera and a tale to spin.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    2. Re:Why bother? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      You don't know much about the internet, warfare or international diplomacy, do you?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re: Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Killing hordes of enemy 'combatants' (those being mostly bystanders, families etc) and putting whole communities in the hole seems to work for Israel. People outside complain but this makes no difference on the ground, nor does it make Israelis feel any pain because of it. So I guess it is effective. OC it costs money and you need to be a cold blooded bastard to go far enough of which first is easy thanx to painter from Vienna.

    4. Re: Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Enough to know that you nerds aren't half as smart as you think you are, you can be found and once found you can be killed. :) And if my government does not like any messy diplomatic crap with your own, you will be found dead from suicide and your computer will contain evidence of, let's say... "Questionable" material. Still eager to play with the big boys, nerdinho?

    5. Re: Why bother? by Skidborg · · Score: 1

      See, this is what's making them lose. Israel's tactics allow Hamas to create a victimhood narrative and recruit thousands of people to their cause. In reality, Hamas is no more the friend of the Palestinian people than Israel is.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    6. Re:Why bother? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Kill the enemy hackers. Slit their throats, bomb their homes, shoot them in the chest twice and once through the brain. You don't fight on the enemy's level, you fight on yours. You make them fear for their lives, all the time. You don't work very well when you know you could be burned to death in an instant, torn to pieces by bombs or shells, be pumped full of high-velocity bullets, wake up to feel the cold sharpness of a blade on your neck in the middle of the night. War is violence. Wage it accordingly.

      I'm guessing you're an ex-Navy Seal with over 300 confirmed kills?

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    7. Re: Why bother? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Considering who I work for ... yeah, should become very interesting very quickly.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Already covered? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Aren't there people already doing this kind of thing? Deploying soldiers into the social media space seems like just a little bit of overkill...

  6. Weaponize Twitter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The UK must close the e-celeb gap!

  7. 404 Company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They brute force into your house and delete everything you own.

    1. Re:404 Company by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Jeesh, kids these days with their newfangled technological crap. We only had Katyushas. And we were GLAD we had them, our daddies had to go and burn those houses down with their own matches, they would have killed for our Katyushas. Thinking about it... they did...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Citizens with the right skills? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trolls, you are finally qualified to work! Get thee to a recruitment office posthaste, chop chop, all's chipper in the flat, go for the ring!

  9. Golly! Just look at the date! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's December 1983 in the UK.

  10. They... by drumlight · · Score: 4, Funny

    really need to recruit Private Browsing for this unit.

    1. Re:They... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      They've tried; but all the enlistment paperwork just disappears when he walks out. Weirdest thing.

  11. UNIT by rossdee · · Score: 1

    Will it be commanded by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart ?

    1. Re:UNIT by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Well, considering what army we're talking about, I think the commanding officer will be General Protection Fault.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  12. that's gonna piss the BBC off by ihtoit · · Score: 1

    the British government already has a well established global propaganda unit. See title.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  13. Wait... what? by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    They learned the importance of cyber warfare in Afghanistan? My head hurts.

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    1. Re:Wait... what? by ihtoit · · Score: 1

      Here was I, thinking it was all about dropping ferret bombs down caves, roadside IEDs and suicide bombers... how wrong was I, eh?

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    2. Re:Wait... what? by Skidborg · · Score: 2

      Every war these days depends on public opinion, both local and foreign. Without it, there are no recruits and there is no funding. If you can eliminate those, you've disposed of a lot of potential enemy combatants without bloodshed.

      --
      Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
    3. Re:Wait... what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      something about always being at war with Eastasia

    4. Re:Wait... what? by Karmashock · · Score: 2

      I'll say this... being a cyberwarrior is probably the best job if you can get it. I mean... the worst that can happen is some LEET HAXOR could PWND you... :P

      So instead of your head popping like a ripe melon because some sniper shot a lead slug through your face... you just get a little nerd rage at the enemy, take another sip of your caffeinated beverage of choice and carry on.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    5. Re:Wait... what? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 0

      They learned the importance of cyber warfare in Afghanistan? My head hurts.

      Sometimes differently-abled learners cope best in classrooms with a less demanding curriculum adapted to their needs...

    6. Re:Wait... what? by mjwalshe · · Score: 1

      the late vilerat would disagree with you as would the HMGC signals guys who got killed in turkey

    7. Re:Wait... what? by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      I'll say this... being a cyberwarrior is probably the best job if you can get it. I mean... the worst that can happen is some LEET HAXOR could PWND you... :P

      If it's anything like in the US, the idea of being cyberwarrior is also a great recruitment strategy (where recruitment has become damn impossible otherwise). Once you sign on the dotted line, you can be transferred to any other duty and you won't be able to do anything about it.

    8. Re:Wait... what? by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      The reality is of course the propaganda is not about getting rid of the selected targets it is all about making publicly acceptable the idea of getting rid of the targets by what ever means you happen to choose. So burning them alive with white phosphorous is acceptable as long as you can get away with it by convincing those who would judge your actions.

      Basically yet another government agencies is purposefully setting out to commit electoral fraud and should be charged with a crime. It is illegal for government agencies to use government funds in order to alter electoral outcomes especially when specifically intending to do so by actively misrepresenting who they really are.

      So the name of the unit basically "FUCK YOU, THE MAJORITY", a unit specifically designed to misrepresent itself as the majority, a unit specifically designed to silence the majority voice by drowning it out, a unit specifically designed to force the opinion of a minority upon the majority, basically a military unit whose whole design purpose is to corrupt the democratic process in order to push undemocratic ideals that the majority would not normally accept.

      The whole twenty century mass media misrepresentation of what the majority opinion really is revisited. A blatant act of public corruption.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    9. Re:Wait... what? by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      Also possible but that bait and switch will get around.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
    10. Re:Wait... what? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      They learned the importance of cyber warfare in Afghanistan? My head hurts.

      If it hadn't been for those pesky Taliban hackers we'd have won a glorious victory!

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  14. "the only way to win is not to play." by swschrad · · Score: 1

    somehow I think there is a huge divide here between "right skills" being "I am a Wikileaks poster" and "I have all your passwords and financial records, did you do anything to piss me off today?"

    --
    if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
  15. Incredible internet capability? by ShaunC · · Score: 1

    We've seen with Islamic State, its incredible capability on the net, Facebook, Instagram and all the rest.

    Doesn't this describe just about every 12-year-old in a first world country? Knowing how to use Facebook and Instagram is hardly the hallmark of "incredible capability" on the internet.

    --
    Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
    1. Re:Incredible internet capability? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they fuse it with GCHQ intelligence, this could be different....

      Ever had YOUR bank account statement on pastebin ?

    2. Re:Incredible internet capability? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      A large part of it is that we like to portray ISIL, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest as primitives, so we over-estimate their "cyber skills" because we expect them to treat a computer like a gorilla would treat a Lamborghini.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  16. Cannons ahoy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would the brigadiers have a spare orbital ion cannon to loan, perhaps?

  17. The real reason? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The ability to watch porn in safety.

  18. They should have named it the 79th Brigade by david.emery · · Score: 2

    In honor of the WWII 79th Armoured Division, that contained all the special purpose vehicles that were so useful during D-Day and beyond.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  19. French Army has been on Twitter for awhile by frank249 · · Score: 1

    But I hear all they use it for is retweets.

    --

    Today's vices may be tomorrow's virtues.

  20. more than that, hearts and minds are the goal. by raymorris · · Score: 2

    What you said is certainly true, and has been for a long time. Now, psyops is even more important. The US and UK could have turned Iraqi cities into glass parking lots very quickly, if they decided to do mass bombings like WWII. Germany had serious air defenses, yet the allies utterly destroyed large sections of major cities. Undefended Iraqi cities would be like bombing fish in a barrel. Destroying the enemy is no longer considered an allowable goal, though. The new goal is to persuade the general population to see things our way.

    You don't win friends by exploding them. Hardware can remove the existing leadership, but the rest is PR.

    1. Re:more than that, hearts and minds are the goal. by stoatwblr · · Score: 1

      "if they decided to do mass bombings like WWII."

      The policies of Bomber Harris were shown to make enemy soldiers even more determined when they found out about them - and the primary reason for carpet bombing was to take out manufacturing facilities in an era where "precise" bombing was "within a mile or so", against an enemy using more-or-less traditional warfare.

      "You don't win friends by exploding them"

      That's something that the USA needs to learn in spades. The best terrorist recruiting tool around is a bomb/missile which has taken out 3rd party bystanders. 'Winning hearts and minds' is supposed to be a tactic to bring people onto _your_ side, not send them over to the 'enemy'.

    2. Re:more than that, hearts and minds are the goal. by tehcyder · · Score: 1
      Unlike Germany and Japan in WW2, Iraq posed zero threat to the US and UK in the first place.

      We were supposedly liberating the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator and his circle of evil, not trying to defeat a whole country.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  21. Call it what it is ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 2

    ... propaganda.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    1. Re:Call it what it is ... by Xest · · Score: 1

      So, are you saying it's a bad thing? What's your point? Should IS be allowed to spread all the propaganda it wants and the West not be allowed to counter it because propaganda is bad (but only if the West does it) or what?

    2. Re:Call it what it is ... by tehcyder · · Score: 1
      You should counter propaganda with the truth, not more propaganda.

      We should not be treating these groups as though they're a threat to our very existence, requiring us to set aside all our values. But it's probably too late for that.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  22. Only one thing can be posted in response: by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

    http://i146.photobucket.com/al...

  23. It will be led by... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Colonel Panic